Threatening a Balance? I Don't Take Threats!

【100% Caught Bare-handed (Epic). When using a bladed weapon on a target within two meters, this skill forces them to drop to one knee and catch the blade. The target is not harmed, achieving a perfect bare-handed catch.】

【Cooldown. Twenty seconds. This can be reduced by practicing the skill, with the potential for no cooldown at all.】

【Learning Conditions. Must be level 25 or higher, proficient with blades, and possess hands.】

【Note. How could this not be considered a form of hard control?】

The first thing Wu Wang did after regaining his player abilities was to have Mary give him this skill scroll.

Although the level of his 【Pending Death】 account was too low to learn the skill, the triple-question-mark level of his 【Yan Shuangying】 account seemed to ignore the level 25 requirement.

For others, this skill might be a rather useless, or even comical, control skill. After all, the effect specified that the blade would not cut the target.

But in his hands, it would become a powerful offensive weapon.

Because he had 【Xiaochuan】.

【Xiaochuan Broken Sword (Current Grade - Epic, Repairable). Equipping this sword allows the wielder to sense spiritual bodies and increases Strength by 20 points. The strength bonus is determined by the Sword Spirit's power.】

【Sword Spirit - Yin Yuan】

【Special Effect 1 (A Thousand Threads and Ten Thousand Strands). This sword ignores a target's physical defense to directly damage their soul. As long as the blade makes contact, it is guaranteed to deal damage.】

When these two were combined, they produced an effect beyond Wu Wang's wildest expectations.

The sword's special effect didn't need to break the skin. It just needed to make contact.

And 【100% Caught Bare-handed】 guaranteed that the target would touch 【Xiaochuan】's blade.

Thus, a wondrous chemical reaction was born.

"Cough! What the hell is this thing?!"

Zhuge Yue coughed violently, flinging the sword away as if she'd been electrocuted. Her face turned slightly pale.

She glanced at her personal panel.

【Spirit: 99 → 80】

A single touch had directly weakened her spirit?

What the hell? she thought. Aren't I wearing equipment that reduces spirit damage?

She looked up at the strange man before her. From his tone, she could feel a simmering, teeth-grinding resentment.

Zhuge Yue shook her wrists, a smile playing on her lips.

"A little interesting. How did you know I was up here?"

Wu Wang didn't answer directly. Instead, he took a white lollipop stick from his pocket and tossed it at her feet.

This was the very thing that had been used to attack 【Cang Qiong】 and shatter the tense standoff.

Wu Wang flashed a playful smile.

"Right now, the seed is ten meters from you, but only six meters from me. Who do you think can get it faster?"

He appeared calm and nonchalant, but in reality, he had no confidence at all. He had witnessed this madwoman's speed before. If they actually raced for it, he probably wouldn't stand a chance.

Therefore, he needed to bluff.

As expected, Zhuge Yue did not act immediately. She first glanced down at the players below, who were currently busy trying to kill each other.

She shook her head.

"Yan Shuangying… I've never heard that name before."

"Why do you hate me so much?"

"Did I offend you somehow? But I've offended so many people."

"Why don't you remind me of the specifics?"

As she spoke, Zhuge Yue began counting on her fingers, pondering the number of people she had offended.

Finally, she held up five fingers, a happy smile on her face.

"It's almost five hundred people. They all want to kill me. I'm so happy."

Wu Wang was speechless.

Fucking psycho.

He silently watched his skill cooldown. Two seconds left on 【100% Caught Bare-handed】. He could use his hard control again.

With every extra time he managed to damage her with 【Xiaochuan】, Zhuge Yue would grow more wary of his methods.

Click.

Suddenly, Zhuge Yue did something completely unexpected. She took something with an extremely familiar shape out of her pocket.

She smiled.

"I don't care if it's ten meters or six meters. If you take one step forward, I'll set off this grenade, and we can all get kicked out of here together."

【Holy Hand Grenade】!

As if worried Wu Wang didn't recognize it, Zhuge Yue thoughtfully explained.

"This is a little toy I filched from the Abnormal Affairs Bureau's warehouse a while back. I even got a beating from Qing Long for it and had to spend two months in a hospital bed."

"This thing is called a 【Holy Hand Grenade】. Once it's activated, everything within its blast radius, you, me, and that bunch of idiots in the cave below, will all ascend to heaven and exit the Hidden Map."

"Oh, and what about those two NPCs you brought? Where did they go? If they get too close, they'll ascend too."

"Nobody gets the seed!"

With that, she lifted her head and looked at Wu Wang proudly.

Now the threat was balanced. If she didn't move, he wouldn't dare to move either. So what if he was closer!

However, beneath her smug little expression, Wu Wang silently took out an identical grenade.

Zhuge Yue's smile froze on her face.

A playful glint flashed in Wu Wang's eyes.

"What a coincidence. I have one too. Shall we set them off together? Or should I let the lady go first?"

"I'm fine with whatever. Like you said, we all just get kicked out empty-handed. Why don't we use yours? I'd like to save my item."

Zhuge Yue snapped.

"Damn moron!"

She hadn't been lying. She had possessed this 【Holy Hand Grenade】 for a long time, and she had to admit, it was very useful. Whether in the real world or inside an Instance, whenever she ran into a difficult situation, she could just pull this thing out, and everyone would calmly sit down to talk things over.

It was like a nuclear deterrent. No one wanted to bet on whether she would actually set it off, especially since her brand of crazy was well-known among other players.

Zhuge Yue had used this thing to threaten others countless times, so of course, she could recognize it. The one in his hand was also the real deal.

Now the situation was awkward.

The two of them stood in a standoff, neither daring to let go of the 【Holy Hand Grenade】 in their hand.

After a moment, Wu Wang's voice broke the dead silence.

"Hey, are the people down there done fighting? How come it's been quiet for so long?"

Zhuge Yue had noticed this as well. She subconsciously glanced down into the cavern.

And that one look was a mistake.

The moment she looked down, her eyes met the Duke's cold gaze.

Oh, crap!

The two of them had been in a stalemate for so long that the people below had noticed something was wrong.

Unexpectedly, however, Wu Wang's expression turned arrogant.

"What do you think I was waiting for? For love to blossom?"

The moment he finished speaking, one player after another slowly emerged from the cave entrance.

The Duke was holding a white slip of paper.

"Did you write this?"

Only then did everyone else get a clear look at the crookedly written words on the paper.

【Three Lives Three Worlds Peach Blossoms】

What was this nonsense?

But it was precisely this bizarre note that made the Duke realize that Yan Shuangying, the nun, and Lady Mary had all disappeared. He had finally called a halt to the players' infighting.

After some observation, he discovered a familiar face standing at the top of the cave. It was Zhuge Yue.

Wu Wang feigned confusion.

"Yeah, I wrote it. You didn't get it?"

The Duke's mouth twitched. Who the hell knew what he was trying to say.

Zhuge Yue asked, equally confused.

"Three Lives Three Worlds Peach Blossoms… what does that mean?"

Wu Wang smiled slightly.

"It means you lack strength, little bro."

However, as he spoke the last word, Zhuge Yue suddenly moved.

She violently threw something at the crowd. A grenade-shaped object flew through the air.

The high-level players present were all experienced and knowledgeable. They naturally recognized what it was. Their pupils contracted in unison.

To resist the effect of a 【Holy Hand Grenade】, one would need a 【Legendary】 grade item or piece of equipment.

However, being killed by the grenade in this Hidden Map wouldn't result in a true death. At worst, they would just be forced to exit the map.

Was it really worth using a 【Legendary】 item for the seed?

Doubts surfaced in everyone's mind. If they used a 【Legendary】 grade item, only to find that the seed's value didn't even match their expenditure, that would be a truly tearful outcome.

Maybe they should just leave? Although they wouldn't gain anything, the other players wouldn't get it either.

In that moment of hesitation, Zhuge Yue's figure vanished from her spot, reappearing right next to the seed.

"A bunch of cowards! You can have the grenade to play with!" she cheered, ecstatic.

It took a moment for everyone to realize what had happened.

The 【Holy Hand Grenade】 was just lying on the ground, thrown like a simple stone. She hadn't pulled the pin.

She had only used it to attract their attention, to make them weigh the value of a 【Legendary】 item against the seed. Then she seized the opportunity to snatch it.

Zhuge Yue never intended mutual destruction.

For a moment, the anger of being played flooded their minds. They wished they could run over and tear her to pieces, but it would be meaningless. If she died, she would just exit the Hidden Map.

Zhuge Yue's hand was already touching the seed. No matter how fast they moved, she would have enough time to put it in her backpack.

This time, they admitted defeat.

Click.

Just as the players were sighing in regret, a sudden sound echoed through the air. Everyone whipped their heads around.

To their horror, they saw that while the grenade Zhuge Yue had thrown was still on the ground, someone else was holding an identical one.

And he had pulled the pin.

Wu Wang stood among the crowd, casually shaking the live grenade. A mysterious expression appeared on his face.

"Thanks, old friend, for saving me a grenade. I'll be sure to use it to repay you next time."

"Threatening a balance? How laughable. I don't take threats."

Then, Wu Wang turned his head and said to Xiezhi with a hint of apology.

"Old Xie, this might hurt a little. My apologies."

Xiezhi looked back at Wu Wang with a complex expression. He never thought the 【Holy Hand Grenade】 he had given him would be used on them.

What kind of situation was this?

Before anyone else could understand what he meant, a dazzling white light blossomed from his hand.

The 【Holy Hand Grenade】 activated.

Zhuge Yue cursed.

"Fucking psycho!"

In her eyes, this man was an out-and-out madman, perhaps even more so than herself. She had already gotten the item. Why was he still pulling the pin? Just to vent his anger? To blow everyone up?

Whatever, she thought. I'll just store the seed and leave. Momma told me not to play with psychos.

She clutched the seed of the 【Tree of Sighs】 and went to put it in her backpack.

Then, she froze.

Because in the instant the power of the 【Holy Hand Grenade】 washed over her, a panel popped up from the seed.

【You do not meet the collection requirements.】

【This item cannot be placed in the backpack.】